Alexa Skills Development

Amazon Alexa allows you to use your voice to command an activity or to complete a task. Other than just asking her to dim the lights or create a shopping list, Alexa can learn a multitude of skills. These skills can be used to complete a wider majority of tasks which means you can get rid of the keyboard and notepad and get work done just by commanding your Alexa. For example, “Alexa, send Rob an email saying …” you see? No need for a keyboard! Another example is asking alexa to record your meetings, this can make it more personal for you and the other people in the meetings because you won’t have a screen in front of you all.

The great thing about Alexa is that it cuts out the middle-man, and that can be a phone or paper so equally, it helps our environment. For example, you can add washing up liquid to your shopping list whilst washing the dishes and then transfer that list over to your phone. It’s a new way of learning, and thinking. It can read a book to you, play a playlist or start a conference with the rest of the office.

Advantages of Alexa skills for business are;

1. Flexibility – Work from home or the office
2. Voice control – You can control smart devices with your voice. You can also communicate with other rooms and people
3. Ecommerce – Alexa offers ecommerce experiences
4. Gaming – Play games by just using your voice
5. Sell products – You can sell premium products
6. Competition – Gain an advantage in the market
7. Accessibility – Provide accessible functionality of your business to your end users
8. Innovation – Show your clients, customers and employers that you’re innovating

In order to build a skill, you need to log into your Alexa account online. From here, press ‘start skill’ and then ‘create new skill’. Watch this video here for a step to step guide – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ei_q4saWwcE

This video is for more advanced skill creators or for people who may want to experiment some more – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BB3wwxgqPOU

Amazon offers over 40,000 different skills for your Alexa in categories such as cooking, astrology, religion and even some in wine and alcohol. I’m sure we could all learn a few skills in that area!

Gartner predicts that 30% of web browsing interactions will be done without a screen by 2020. That’s next year! That’s a huge chunk of our daily tasks that will switch from keyboard to voice. This is why it’s important for businesses to bring voice to the workplace environment. In the next few years voice control and voice led devices will become as essential as any other technology such as computers, televisions and screens.

It’s suggested that using voice is more of a personal way to connect with people. It makes communicating a lot more intimate and sometimes individual. Take Sound Branch, for example, it’s an app that allows you to record 10 second voice recordings and start discussions. It’s like Twitter but you use your voice, not your thumbs. It means people, listeners, readers, friends and employers can get a sense of personality and identity to that person. Alexa is similar if you use it within a business sense.

With the emergence of new technology its important to keep your workplace and personal life up to date. If you would like any help or more information with Alexa skills development, contact Webanywhere.

Call – 0800 862 0131 / 0113 3200 750
Workplaces email – Workplacehelpdesk@webanywhere.co.uk
Contact page – https://www.webanywhere.co.uk/contact

Hi, I am a journalism student working as a freelance journalist. Hope you enjoy!
Molly Clayton